Silly Bride

Chapter 286

mind was Mount Albeise. I didn’t expect to meet you here either, but I suppose that’s fate, huh?”“Yeah.” At that point, Winnie was still completely unaware of the rumors that had spread like wildfire about her upcoming engagement with Nathaniel.Flashing the man a courteous smile, she said, “What a coincidence indeed. The only difference between us is that I’ve already descended the mountain, whereas you still have a long way up.”“You’re right.” Nathaniel nodded, and a thought instantly crossed his mind. But if I can spend the rest of my time here with you, I’ll gladly forgo my hiking plans.He couldn’t help asking her, “What are your plans after this? Are you planning to stay for a little longer to do some sightseeing, or are you heading back?”Not giving her a chance to respond, he then proposed, “I know a town nearby that has a wine cellar that produces good wine. You should go try it if you get the chance to. I can take you there if you want, and if you’re interested, we can also go hunting together. There are a lot of moose around here.”“Is that so? It sounds great, but I think I’ll take a rain check.”Winnie had witnessed an avalanche while she was on the mountain the previous day. Although she had been tens of miles away at the time and hadn’t been in any danger, she could still feel the intense pressure of that moment.When the avalanche occurred, she instantly had a flashback to the explosion that happened on the dock.The danger and fear she experienced back then was no different from what she felt about the avalanche, but what made the former incident so memorable was the people she had experienced it with—her lover and her friend who had jumped in to save her with little regard for their own safety.Hence, after the avalanche, Winnie knew it was time for her to go home and take care of some matters as no one knew exactly what life had in store for them.She couldn’t keep harboring resentment for something or someone because of an incident, nor could she miss out on everything she should’ve cherished at that moment.With her mind made up, Winnie politely declined Nathaniel’s invitation. “I’ll come back and experience it when I get the chance, but I’m in a bit of a rush to go back to Chanaea now.”“Are you going back to Avenport so soon? It doesn’t seem like you’ve been here for long,” said Nathaniel, a hint of disappointment evident in his tone.He had already seen the news about their supposed engagement and also read the Speiser family’s response to it.Truth be told, Nathaniel was delighted to see Wilhelm deny the fact that Winnie had ever married Xavier.I thought this would be my chance, but I didn’t expect her to go back so soon. Besides, judging by her behavior, it doesn’t seem like she knows what has been going on in the outside world ever since she came here.After pondering for a while, Nathaniel asked, “Winnie, is the reception bad up there? Have you contacted anybody in the outside world recently?”“The reception is pretty bad in the mountain. What is it? Did something happen? Does it involve me?”The woman was simply too sharp, so Nathaniel could only flash her a wry smile and come clean about the situation. “All right. Since it seems you’re truly unaware, I think we need to find a place to sit and talk.”“Sure.”“Give me your backpack. It must be heavy, right? I’ll carry it for you.”Eyeing the nearby tables, Winnie once again declined the man, “No need. It’s only a couple of steps away.”“All right.” Nathaniel had no choice but to retract his hand and let her be.Alas, he couldn’t help worrying it was too strenuous for Winnie, so he took the initiative to reach his hand out and lift her backpack up.The entire scene was coincidentally captured by a bespectacled man standing in a corner of the motel.Unfortunately for him, however, his flash was on, and both Winnie and Nathaniel immediately noticed him.The two exchanged glances with one another and furrowed their brows.Nathaniel instantly said to Winnie, “Why don’t you take a seat over there? I’ll go and see what’s going on.”“No, I’ll go with you,” Winnie refused as she glanced at the man who was taking pictures of them in secret.Much to Nathaniel’s and Winnie’s surprise, the man strode toward them instead of waiting for them to approach him.He wasn’t sneaking around like they were expecting and openly passed them his business card.“Nice to meet you guys. I’m a journalist from ABC News. I came here on a holiday, but I didn’t expect to bump into you two. May I have the honor of interviewing you guys? I can assure you it won’t take up too much of your time,” said the man.Winnie furrowed her brows as she mulled over the man’s words. “Thank you for your interest, but why are you interviewing us if you’re on a holiday?”It’d be more believable if he said he was conducting street interviews at the foot of Mount Albeise and coincidentally saw us. On the other hand, this situation is just too strange.“You see, Ms. Vivian…” Since Winnie didn’t outright reject him, the bespectacled journalist even pulled out his handy dandy recording pen.He then began to explain, “Previously, other journalists reported that the Speiser family is interested in arranging a marriage with the Huxley family. They said that you and Mr. Nathaniel are preparing for your engagement. We’ve asked for clarification, but we weren’t able to get any reliable information. I didn’t expect to bump into you and Mr. Nathaniel here at all. Are you two really dating? When are you two planning to get engaged or perhaps get married?”Confusion was plastered all over Winnie’s face when she heard the journalist’s words. She even lowered her gaze to look at the name that was printed on the business card.In a polite tone, she queried, “What are you talking about, Mr. Graham? What arranged marriage? What engagement? Why don’t I know anything about this?”The journalist felt rather speechless for a moment and chuckled in response. “How can you not know about this, Ms. Vivian? Look, I even took a picture of you and Mr. Nathaniel.”A crease appeared between Winnie’s brows as she looked over at Nathaniel. “What’s going on?”Just as Nathaniel was about to speak, the journalist piped up first, “Ms. Vivian, if you’re unwilling to answer that question, why don’t I ask you another one? Is it true that you married a Chanaean man? Is the marriage between you two legal?” Looking at the unrelenting man in front of her, Winnie said in a stern voice, “I’m sorry, Mr. Graham, but until I figure out exactly what’s going on, I will